Lidstrom suffered a nasty injury to his right eye area in the first exhibition game when he was hit by the puck, requiring 25 stitches and leaving his eye so swollen he couldn't see the next day.

He hasn't worn a visor regularly since his rookie year, saying he preferred to play without one. But like many other players (such as Kris Draper and former teammate Steve Yzerman), Lidstrom's brush with nearly losing an eye made him change his mind.